Rugby is a rough sport normally played outside on grass -- a nice, semi-soft surface.

However, this is Penn State, where the grass during winter is always white. Therefore, rugby is going to have to move indoors. This weekend, the Penn State Ruggers will take on Kutztown University at Holuba Hall, with it's concrete and turf flooring. Bring on the rug burn.

The game will not count in the standings; it will be a "friendly" match. They will play four quarters instead of two halves, so that each team can put in different combinations of players to see what works best for it.

Kutztown has a strong forward group that will run hard, and do a lot of rucking and mauling.

"It will be a great evaluation tool for our team," Penn State men's rugby coach Terry Ryland said.

It comes at a much needed time for the Ruggers. They spent last weekend in North Carolina playing two matches to begin the season. They beat Radford, who was the Div. II national champion last year, 30-10. They got off to a slow start because it was their first time on grass for the year. They had gotten little time to practice in the winter.

They lost their next game against the University of North Carolina 20-7. UNC is in the middle of its season and in good condition. The field by the time the game was played was in bad shape, thanks to cold and rainy conditions. The weather slowed down the normally fast Penn State team.

"We came out of the North Carolina game ready to go," Ryland said. "We need to add toughness -- that's criteria for us to get better."